The lands in general and the specific town of Tawney made for an interesting setting with good world building. we were told over and over again that they were so deeply in love, but we never really saw it (or felt it). Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is described as "a gorgeous heart-warmer of a book, filled with cosy adventure, sapphic romance and good feelings. The delicious combination of peril, romance and tea (you can never have enough tea…) was bewitching in the best possible way. the pov switches off between them, and there were times that i could not tell whose head we were supposed to be in since they were so similar and so unremarkable.

the book can’t decide whether it’s cosy or high-stakes, and though i was intrigued by the premise of a vengeful queen she wasn’t actually present much. i get that the author was setting themselves up for a second book in the series, but that meant that there was barely any story arc to this one. Now, you might be wondering if something like that could even factor into a “cozy” fantasy–and the answer is a resounding yes. When she's not writing (or avoiding writing), Rebecca can be found traveling the country as a flight attendant, or doing her best impression of a granola-girl hermit with her two dogs.

Furthermore, their lovey-dovey couples banter and flirting is just a bit nauseating - more like the author just wanted to depict a "perfect" lesbian relationship - which as a lesbian, I just found boring and mildly infuriating. The politics, court intrigue, dragons, magic -- it was definitely an adventure fantasy served with a side of cozy.

They're always ensuring the other is okay and talking through their issues, but it doesn't feel like organic conversations people should have.

I always love a queer cozy fantasy and was very excited this was set in a colder climate, as I enjoy these in particular. Kianthe and Reyna are such characters, and their interactions are full of wholesome love (and terrible puns) and I love every second of it.

Reyna is repeatedly referred to as 'the ex-guard' even when her former profession has zero bearing on the current scene, and this is one of those things that once I notice an author does it, I can't stop noticing it. if the characters already use the correct pronouns for every other character that uses she/her or he/him without having to have a narrative reason for it, why can't they also just use they/them for the characters with those pronouns? But a near-death experience has her realizing what and who is truly important in life, and what she wants from it - so now she is taking that chance. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. A tiny bit of a mystery with some dragons and their eggs, and just a lot of fun banter and antics from Kianthe most of all, who loves puns and is sassy and vibrant.

Although I wish Gossley had been developed a bit more for having a purpose beyond, seemingly, only existing to make Reyna look like a better and more empathetic person, I enjoyed the dynamic between him and Reyna nonetheless in between Kianthe and Reyna's never-ending banter. I do intend to give the second book in this series a chance, as I believe in authors improving their craft as they go and wonder if a book with a non-established couple may fare better for me, but I am still extremely disappointed with this one. After years operating in the traditional publishing space, Rebecca has pivoted into self-publishing. I found the relationship to be frustrating and more often than not felt like I was being told things, not shown things. I'd say the biggest weakness of this book is that the characters don't feel very rich or differentiated from one another, but I hope the author can grow in future books.

I felt like it was just - a thing happens - it's resolved - all is well - another thing happens - etc.It started out great in the first couple of chapters, but I really lost interest and found myself skimming, hoping for something to grab me. Also, there were some words that stood out to me in the quesi-historical fantasy setting, such as referring to a vest top as a 'tank' or repeated use of the word 'vacation. It often felt like it wasn't sure whether it wanted to be a cozy story or a more high stakes adventure, which lead to some slightly off-pacing in places. It often doesn't resolve their issues either, as neither are actually good communicators who talk properly through their problems, and Kianthe in particular is riddled with personal issues which she refuses to convey to Reyna, despite insisting her girlfriend must share all her issues, and it only causes problems for the two of them.